Beth Din

Beth Din trying Rabbi Chaim Halpern is ‘planning a whitewash’

Simon Rocker — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:30:00 +0000

After weeks of silence, the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations has announced that it will convene a special rabbinic court to hear claims against one of its rabbis of inappropriate behaviour with women.

Rabbi Chaim Halpern resigned as a Union dayan and from other communal roles two weeks ago, after complaints about his counselling sessions for women, but continues to lead the synagogue he runs in his Golders Green home.

The Union — which has been under mounting criticism over its handling over the episode — issued a public notice on Tuesday.

It stated that the head of its rabbinate, Dayan Ephraim Padwa, was “in the process of setting up an independent Beis Din, consisting of prominent and renowned dayonim, to thoroughly investigate the allegations affecting one of our rabbonim”.

The Beth Din — which is likely to consist of three rabbis from Israel — will “hear testimony and examine evidence”, according to the notice. Its ruling would be binding on the Union’s rabbinate.

Until it delivered its verdict, Rabbi Padwa expressed the wish that “no further action nor declaration be made”.

But one north-west London rabbi, who is aware of the complaints, questioned the credibility of the Beth Din and whether any of the women involved would be willing to attend. “It is worth nothing,” he said. “It is going to be one-sided because no one will come to give evidence.”

Rabbis who have previously urged the Union to act “would not co-operate”, he predicted, because “they feel it is just a plan to whitewash”.

Rabbi Halpern relinquished his communal roles after attending a meeting at the home of former London Beth Din head Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu, when a group of six rabbis questioned him over the complaints and heard testimony directly from one young woman.

An associate of Rabbi Halpern — who is the son of Union president Rabbi Elchonon Halpern — has said that the rabbi denied the allegations.

Amid increasing strain between the Stamford Hill-based Union and some of its Golders Green members, it is understood that a wider group of north-west Londonrabbis is considering making public their concerns about Rabbi Halpern. So far they have held back pending efforts to get the backing of some Union rabbis.

But one rabbi has spoken out. Dayan Yisroel Lichtenstein, head of the Federation of Synagogues Beth Din, said that Rabbi Halpern had “crossed the red lines of accepted rabbinic behaviour” and was “unfit to serve as a rabbi”.

In a bizarre twist, Union leaders this week received an email purporting to come from an American psychologist, “Ahron Hersh Fried”, which cast doubt on the allegations against Rabbi Halpern and suggested that he would probably be cleared .

A senior Union figure suggested that the email be circulated to “relevant parties… maybe even to whoever can get it into the JC”.

But it appears that the email may be a hoax. Rabbi Aharon Hersh Fried is the name of a psychologist at Yeshiva University in New York and he has made it clear that he is not the author of the email sent to the Union.

Thousands back tug of love custody mother

Jessica Elgot — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:53:41 +0100

More than 6,000 people in a Facebook group have called for a resolution to a divorce dispute in which a British mother has lost custody of her twin sons to her Austrian ex-husband.

Manchester-born Beth Alexander lost a bitter battle over custody of her three-year-old sons, after her marriage to Viennese doctor Michael Schlesinger broke down.

Now, a British-based campaign has attracted thousands of supporters all calling for UK rabbis to persevere with the case and for Austrian rabbis to convince Dr Schlesinger to consent to rabbinic mediation.

Around 700 people have signed an online petition calling for a “fair resolution” and campaigners have set up a website and a Twitter hashtag, #helpbeth.

Ms Alexander said: “There is a lot of anger, from people all over the world. People in Manchester have told me they will withdraw their donations from Chabad, because of the way Chabad has behaved in this case, supporting my husband.”

Richard Verber, a former fellow pupil with Ms Alexander at King David High School, Manchester, said he had set up the petition “to show support to the UK rabbis who have intervened”.

He said the next stage of the campaign would be to ask people to speak to their local rabbis about the case, and urge them to use connections to press for a resolution.

The JC reported two weeks ago that senior Manchester rabbis, including the registrar of the Manchester Beth Din, Rabbi Yehuda Brodie, had pleaded with the Vienna rabbinate to intervene. The head of Vienna Chabad, Rabbi Jacob Biderman, previously told the rabbis supporting Ms Alexander that he was unwilling to become personally involved in the case.

Dr Schlesinger has temporary custody of the two boys while the matter is still working its way through the Austrian courts.

The couple do not yet have a civil divorce, and Ms Alexander said her husband had granted her a get only after the intervention of Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu, former head of the London Beth Din.

But Austria’s chief rabbi, Chaim Eisenberg, has insisted that although Dayan Ehrentreu authorised the get technically, it was the Vienna rabbinate who had convinced Dr Schlesinger to issue it.

Rabbi Chaim Kanterovitz of the Yeshurun Hebrew Congregation, Manchester, said: “It must be in the best interests of the prestigious Vienna rabbinate to resolve this distressing situation as soon as possible, especially where two young and tender vulnerable children are affected.”

Chief Rabbi Eisenberg said, in a letter seen by the JC, that Dr Schlesinger had declined mediation by rabbis, and urged Dayan Ehrentreu “to write to him, to applaud him for his co-operation at the get and to offer to come to Vienna again to meet the couple.” Ms Alexander said she had received no response from the Vienna Chabad.

Court documents say Dr Schlesinger believed his wife had suffered mental health problems and post-natal depression, claims which she denies. Despite renewed attempts to speak to Dr Schlesinger this week, the JC was unable to get any comment from him.

Chief hope visiting UK

Simon Rocker — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:12:23 +0100

A leading American rabbi who has been mentioned as a possible successor to Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks is due to visit two London communities this weekend.

Rabbi Dr Michael Broyde will be scholar-in-residence at Edgware Adath Yisroel Congregation and will also speak at the Alei Tzion community in Hendon on Sunday.

The rabbi is a professor of law at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia and a dayan on the Beth Din of America.

Author of numerous books, he recently edited a collection of essays, Contending with Catastrophe, dealing with some of the halachic issues thrown up by the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers.

We're still looking for love - and we are always optimistic

Jessica Elgot — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:07:55 +0100

After the confetti settles, the ink on the ketubah has dried and the 19-piece klezmer band has packed up its fiddles, pressures of modern life are driving even the happiest Jewish couples apart, rabbis and lawyers have warned.

But when things go wrong, even the most secular Jewish couples are seeking spiritual guidance, both before and during their marriages, and still have faith that their problems can be solved by a rabbi, according to Rabbi Aaron Goldstein.

The Northwood and Pinner Liberal rabbi said: "It's very surprising how many couples come to me when they are having relationship difficulties. They are not coming for halachic knowledge or direction. They want guidance from someone where they know it is confidential. Rabbis nurture relationships, we are non-judgmental."

The United Synagogue authorised 385 marriages in 2011, lower than previous years, and 118 religious divorces (gittin), while the Reform Beth Din registered 14 gittin. Vanessa Lloyd-Platt, a high-profile Jewish divorce lawyer, said that the numbers of Jewish couples divorcing were skyrocketing.

"I can only describe it as mayhem out there," she said. "At the 40-plus end of the scale, it's an epidemic. There is huge dissatisfaction among women of that age. Quite a high proportion of Jewish clients are from the more religious end of the spectrum - but not the strictly Orthodox. It's the nouveau riche, traditional Jews, whose divorces are on the increase."

Jo Barnett, a dating coach with Connect, part of the Jewish Marriage Council, believes "pre-marriage coaching is absolutely vital. I know marriages which have been saved from going ahead by putting the couple in a room and bringing up issues like money and religious observance - and finding out that their values don't match at all. It's best to walk away then, not after the expensive wedding."

Alyth Synagogue's Rabbi Mark Goldsmith is a great champion of courses for engaged couples. "It enables couples to meet each other, we look at marriage in Jewish texts , the marriage service and choices to be made. Couples are very assertive about re-writing the ketubah, and they often want to explain their wedding to non-Jewish friends."

But Rabbi Goldstein believes many couples find the formal courses "patronising", especially those who have lived together for a number of years. "You don't need a formal course. People I know have found it demeaning, when they have been on either church courses, or an Orthodox Jewish course. A rabbi should be able to provide a personal service. You can pick up a feel of ease in the relationship. They know each other; they don't need to be preached to."

Two very definitive trends in divorcing couples have emerged, according to Rabbi Goldstein. "Most of those we see are people whose kids have flown the nest, and whose relationships haven't been good for a number of years. We also see younger couples with youngish children, where they have had pressures of both partners having jobs, juggling kids and financial issues."

The recession has played a key part in driving Jewish couples apart, said Ms Lloyd-Platt. "In north-west London, there's a lot of 'keeping up with the Cohens', and resentment when lifestyles have to be reined in. The level of fighting has been very acrimonious indeed."

But she said Jewish couples "don't tend to get pre-nuptial agreements. They don't like the notion of it, while in the wider community, there has been a huge increase."

The JMC's clinical director Deborah Weinstein said that more couples were seeking professional help, before and after marriage, to avoid divorce. "We have seen an increase in numbers over the past month or so. While our clients come from both the religious and non-religious communities, we are seeing a recent increase in Charedi families using our services here."

Cheadle-based relationship counsellor and psychosexual therapist, Edna Miller, has been counselling Manchester couples for 20 years, but in the past six years has started seeing a substantial number of strictly Orthodox couples from Broughton Park, on the other side of the city. "For the more Orthodox couples, some do want to come to a Jewish counsellor, but not one in their own community. They don't have to explain everything to me, but I am outside that particular world."

The strictly Orthodox community have very specific issues that might lead to divorce, said Mrs Miller. "Religious observance can be an issue. I have had a few cases where a wife or husband wants to be less religious than the other, they want to be freer to wear different clothes, for example, but are worried what people might think of them, and what their husband or wife would think.

"Sex can also be a major issue in the strictly Orthodox world where there is no sex education, and so many restrictions. But the solution for religious couples is as universal as for secular couples – communication. If you don't talk to each other about how you are feeling, about any issue, it won't get better."

But the relationships are less likely to end in divorce than they were in better economic times, Mrs Miller said. "They don't have the money for a divorce. It used to be easier, and now they are forced to make a go of it."

When couples do divorce, it is important that they do not let the trauma of the split cloud their judgment, especially it comes to negotiating a get, advises solicitor Deanna Levine, author of an e-book, Getting Your Get.

She said solicitors sometimes did not face up to their responsibility to make sure their Jewish clients had a get arranged as part of their civil divorce.

"The solicitors say it is not their concern. That is simply not the case. While the numbers are smaller than they used to be, for each individual who has the problem, it's massive."

Danielle Benson, who divorced her husband a year ago, said the idea of obtaining a get did not enter her head until the civil divorce was finalised.

"We did a quick divorce on the internet. It was all done and dusted before I realised I didn't have my get. He was difficult, he didn't see the point and it was me who had to pay for it. It dragged on for a year and a half; it was an extremely emotional time. He did not turn up to the first meeting with the dayan. I had to go and pick him up from his house for the second meeting; I didn't trust him to come. So we went together."

But Ms Benson said she found the Beth Din to be a helpful, welcoming place when she did arrive at the religious court, having expected it to be very intimidating. She now works as a female volunteer, helping women going into the court. "It is intimidating going into the room full of men – but women are offered a volunteer to accompany them. It's a very emotional experience, because they read out those familiar Hebrew lines, the names of your parents and grandparents, and the atmosphere is intense. It is archaic, but at the end the man leaves and the dayan talks to you, which is really comforting, it is nowhere near as horrific as people make it out to be. I think it's because no-one talks about what goes on behind those doors, but actually, it's absolutely fine."

David Frei, legal services director at the London Beth Din, said there were "urban myths" about how traumatic a get ceremony has to be. "No-one ever says it was an awful experience coming to the Beth Din. Divorce can be traumatic for many, and we try to give as much support as possible.

"The less religious you are, you might go for years and years, [without a get] which can bring halachic problems. It might be 20 years later, when a person wants to remarry. A get can be done in those circumstances, but it might be difficult even to track down the previous spouse. Without a get you should not have a relationship with anyone else, it counts as adultery, and you cannot get married again [in an Orthodox synagogue]".

Steps are taken to try to guard against spouses refusing a get. "A pre-nuptial agreement was put together by the Office of the Chief Rabbi around 10 years ago. But the bottom line is you cannot force someone to give a get, so it does not necessarily work. There are sanctions in the US by-laws to prevent people having honours at synagogue, or even suspending membership if they refuse a get. Unfortunately, although these by-laws are wonderful, and show how strongly we feel on the issue, [often] people refusing to give a get with no good reason are the sort of people who don't really care about coming to shul."

A Reform Beth Din will issue a get to either party, if they have a civil divorce, said Rabbi Goldsmith. "A Reform get can be issued by a man or a woman; no-one can be trapped in a Reform marriage. We deem them both to have given their consent [to a religious divorce] if they are civilly divorced."

Orthodox agunot [chained women] do occasionally approach a Progressive Beth Din for a get and a second marriage.

"If you wish to be married in a Reform synagogue and you are refused an Orthodox get, we will use the Reform procedure to ensure you have a get, and we will perform the wedding. We don't necessarily recommend it, but we will not allow a man to keep a woman trapped."

But Rabbi Goldstein said Liberal Judaism had dispensed with the idea of a get altogether. "It is demeaning to women. Anyone who has had a civil divorce can get married in our synagogues. We have people who come and get married in our synagogue who have been denied a get by their Orthodox partners. We even have Cohanim who have second marriages here. We see it as our role to facilitate those marriages. Judaism should not be a block to relationships."

The majority of couples Rabbi Goldsmith comes across now, have met through internet dating. "Actually people usually already know each other through family or friends. They might have done youth movement activities together. It's quite a phenomenon."

But for those who aren't keen on the idea of JDate, meeting a Jewish partner, especially for a divorcé or divorcée, has become a minefield in recent years, says Connect's Jo Barnett, who matches Jewish couples through her dating agency. The agency has around 200 members, mostly from London but also from Leeds and Manchester.

"Some people just don't want to chat to strangers online. They want the reassurance we've met the person they are going to date. Around 20 per cent of our members have been married before. They are usually aged 30 to 45 - it's impossible to match people older, especially women. We have so few men with whom to match them. And single men are generally not interested in women with children.

"Years ago people would meet at a dance, connect and get married. Now they have much higher expectations, they are taught they should not settle, all girls should be gorgeous, all guys should be rich. People have forgotten we are human."

Race to succeed Lord Sacks in 2013 hots up

Simon Rocker — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:00:05 +0000

The United Synagogue president, Stephen Pack, has said that applications to be chief rabbi were still being accepted despite the March 5 deadline specified in an advertisement for the job.

Mr Pack, who is chairman of the Chief Rabbinate Trust, which is responsible for appointing Lord Sacks's successor, said it had received some "outstanding" applications, but added: "We are still expecting a number of applications to come in."

He said that the ultimate deadline was September 2013 when Lord Sacks intended to retire. "If we had to say we'd like him to stay on for six months, we'd do that. This is the most important decision affecting the community in a generation and we have to get it right."

But he predicted: "We won't have any dfficulty" in filling the post.

The first round of interviews is due to take place in May. Mr Pack would not disclose the number of applicants so far, while those involved in the recruitment process have had to sign confidentiality pledges to protect the identity of candidates. "There are some people who would not apply if they felt it was going to be sprayed all over the press," he said.

Israel's former Diaspora Affairs Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior, who has been widely tipped as a potential candidate, revealed this week: "I have not applied, formally or informally".

But he added: "As a politician, I learned that you never say never."

Within the UK rabbinate, a strong body of support is emerging for Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis of Finchley Synagogue to become the next Chief. Now 55, the former Chief Rabbi of Ireland might once have been considered too old for the post, but that is no longer such a factor with the lifting of the retirement age.

The other British rabbi thought to be in contention is Rabbi Harvey Belovski of Golders Green Synagogue. Oxford University and Gateshead Yeshivah-educated, he has a doctorate in Chasidic thought.

A number of modern Orthodox rabbis in America have also been the source of speculation among the rabbinate. They include: Rabbi Jacob Schachter, senior scholar at Yeshiva University's Centre for the Jewish Future; Rabbi Michael Broyde, a professor of law and religion at Emory University, Atlanta and dayan on the Beth Din of America; Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt of the Riverdale Jewish Centre, a large community in New York; and Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik, of another leading congregation, Kehillath Jeshurun in New York.

Also believed to be in the running is Rabbi Daniel Beller, formerly of Edgware, leader of an Orthodox congregation in Ra'anana, Israel, and involved in projects to bridge the religious-secular divide. But another British ex-pat, Rabbi Shaul Robinson, who moved from Barnet Synagogue to the prestigious Lincoln Square congregation in New York, has ruled himself out. "Our family is settled here and our new shul is opening before the Yomtovim," he said.

Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein – thought to be a favourite of the London Beth Din – has also said he has not applied, citing "responsibilities and commitments" at home.

Chief Rabbi pushed to rule on same-sex marriage

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:00:05 +0000

Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks has been urged to take a stand against government plans to introduce marriage for same-sex couples.

Dayan Yisroel Lichtenstein, head of the Federation Beth Din, said: "It is his obligation as chief rabbi to speak out."

While Catholic leaders have been at the forefront of opposition to the proposals, Lord Sacks's office has stated on more than one occasion that he would not be commenting on the issue.

Dayan Lichtenstein said that in America - where
a number of states including New York, have moved to introduce same-sex marriage - "it has become a major issue among the rabbinate. They believe it is their obligation as rabbis to do whatever they can to prevent this happening."

Gay and lesbian couples can currently legalise their union in civil partnerships, and both the Liberal and Reform movements allow Jewish ceremonies for couples who have had a civil union.

Under government proposals – which have been put out for consultation – same-sex couples would be able to go through a civil marriage. But there is no provision yet to allow religious marriage for them.

One senior United Synagogue rabbi, Yisroel Fine of Cockfosters and North Southgate Synagogue, said: "It is up to the chief rabbi what he wants to say or not say."

But he added: "I think it's a sad reflection on society when standards of morality are determined by democratic votes and pollsters, and there are no absolute values.

"We have an important role to play in giving voice to Jewish morality rooted in the Torah. When we can form an alliance with other faiths which have shared values, then we should articulate that voice."

Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, co-chairman of the Liberal Conference of Rabbis, however, argued that the government plans did not go far enough.

"Just as my dad was able to ask God's blessing on our marriage, I hope that I will be able to ask God to bless my daughters' marriages, whether they marry a man or a woman."

But he said that religious groups that did not want to perform same-sex ceremonies should not be compelled to do so.

A flexible friend aids restaurants

Simon Rocker — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:31:27 +0000

Harsh economic conditions and increased competition have made life tougher for kosher restaurants over the past few years.

But owners have at least been able to benefit from the London Beth Din's greater flexibility in supervision policies.

The authority does not insist that all licensees must employ a full-time shomer (supervisor) on the premises.

"It is difficult to generalise regarding methods of hashagach [supervision]," LBD kashrut director Rabbi Jeremy Conway explained. "So much depends on the type of operation, menu, venue and general staffing arrangements."

But if a full-time Shabbat observant staff member other than the owner is on the premises, the establishment may not have to incur the cost of hiring a shomer.

In such cases, Rabbi Conway said, "it would often suffice to have regular unannounced inspections from a senior roving LBD inspector to maintain mehadrin [stringent] levels of kashrut."

Or where two restaurants were neighbours, it might be possible for them to share a supervisor, rather than each having to employ a separate shomer.

The division now has two full-time inspectors who can conduct spot checks on a restaurant at any time.

"We are sensitive to the difficult economic conditions and, of course, the need to promote kashrut with first class cuisine and tip-top kashrut standards," Rabbi Conway added.

Why can't my girl be called to the Torah?

Simon Rocker — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:31:58 +0000

The father of a forthcoming batmitzvah girl has challenged the United Synagogue to encourage greater religious participation of women by allowing them to be called up to the reading of the Torah.

Alexis Brassey, a lawyer and member of Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, asked the London Beth Din to consider a way to give women an aliyah on Shabbat. But the Beth Din has flatly rejected the idea as contrary to accepted Jewish law.

Dr Brassey, the eldest of whose three daughters will celebrate her batmitzvah in summer, took up the issue because he was unhappy at how the ceremony is currently conducted within his congregation.

"Everyone goes to kiddush after the Shabbat service and then most go home. The people who have come to listen to the batmitzvah girl then go back into shul and the girl gives a dvar Torah [address on the Torah].

"I got in touch with the Jewish Feminist Orthodox Alliance in the US and they gave me a lot of material."

Although some early rabbinic authorities did permit women to be called to the Torah, the prevailing practice in Orthodox communities has long been for them not to be - for two main reasons.

One is that calling up a woman publicly was said to offend the "dignity of the congregation".

The second, more complicated reason, is that the seven call-ups to the Torah on the Sabbath are regarded as mandatory; women are not obligated to read the Torah, as men are; therefore, it would be wrong to ask a woman to perform an obligatory mitzvah on behalf of men.

But Dr Brassey has argued that there is room for manoeuvre, in a paper quoting rabbinic sources which he submitted to the London Beth Din.

Since it is permissible on Shabbat to call up more than seven people - as many congregations actually do - it ought to be possible to call up a woman for an eighth, non-obligatory aliyah, he has suggested.

As for the dignity objection, he said: "The idea that what was dignified for a community 1,000 years ago, has to be the same as now, is absurd. "

But the London Beth Din spokesman said: "Can a woman be called up to the Torah? The answer is no. This is accepted halachic practice within Orthodoxy in accordance with the Shulchan Aruch [Code of Jewish Law] and all leading poskim [givers of legal opinion].

"We regret that Dr Brassey's internet research has led him to a conclusion which differs from that of the Shulchan Aruch and conventional Orthodox practice."

But Dr Brassey is not resigned to defeat. The LBD, he said, ought to provide a "reasoned argument", discussing the various points of Jewish law he raised. "The Beth Din is hiding behind the notion that the religion can't change, evolve or do anything that isn't established Orthodox practice," he said.

Businessman takes Beth Din order to High Court

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:20:08 +0000

The High Court in London is being asked to enforce the decision of the Beth Din, the court which decides civil or religious issues among Orthodox Jews.

The Beth Din awarded Gateshead businessman Jerry Fried more than £1 million in December 2009, when it ordered company director David Zadok Baumgarten to pay Mr Fried £920,550.43. Mr Fried is also seeking interest of £109,558.11.

Mr Fried says he lent £920,550.454 to Mr Baumgarten but that a dispute arose between the two men over the payment of dividends amounting to £330,490.21.

They agreed to take their dispute to arbitration, and agreed to abide by the Beth Din's decision, a High Court claim says. But Mr Fried accuses Mr Baumgarten of failing to pay the money ordered by the Beth Din, and in an unusual move, has turned to the High Court, where he is seeking to enforce its decision.

The Beth Din awarded Mr Fried payment of the sum he claimed, and said the money should be paid by January 31 2010.

But Mr Baumgarten argued that he could not pay, as he had no means, and he was ordered to pay a monthly sum of £1,063.33.

Despite repeated assurances, he refused to co-operate, and failed to disclose his assets, or give permission for his professional advisors to be contacted by the Beth Din, the claim states.

Rabbi M Lawrence of the Beth Din gave Mr Fried permission to enforce the court's decision in the High Court, and gave him the right to put a charge on two properties owned by Mr Baumgarten in north west London.

The claim was issued by Aryeh Kramer of solicitors Waller Pollins.

Silence is golden for Beth Din

Jenni Frazer — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:47:48 +0100

The curious case of the taxi-driver and the re-assigned debt to the London Beth Din raises all kinds of interesting questions about the nature of religious divorce in Britain.

Privately, the Beth Din has conceded that the get certificate is not necessary to allow a couple to re-marry. The aggrieved ex-husband may have felt, since his civil divorce was unpleasant, that he was exacting a below-the-radar revenge by paying off the £405 for the get certificate very, very, slowly. At the rate of £4 a month, his outstanding debt of £160 would have taken over three years to clear.

But it now emerges that the certificate is an administrative creation and that the Beth Din would willingly have told any Orthodox rabbi who wanted to know the divorced wife's status for the purposes of her re-marriage, that she had already received a get. The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that the rabbis do not trust the Beth Din, and need to see a physical piece of evidence.

More disturbing is the fact that the Beth Din was ready to sell on a debt to a person without any reference to the original debtor. Was there a belief on the part of the Beth Din that the ex-wife's new partner was about to clear the debt himself, in order to speed up his marriage? If so, it was rather a naive belief.

That the Beth Din somewhat hastily paid off the outstanding amount itself may be a testament to the fact that it knew it had done the wrong thing. That the Beth Din was also unwilling to explain its actions speaks further volumes.